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foamy coolant and gurgling noises

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Old 07-12-2005, 02:31 PM
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Default foamy coolant and gurgling noises

My 92 SE will start to gurgle after driving a while, and it appears it may be gettinig a bit warm. I filled up the coolant the other day. It does not appear to be low. I looked in the overflow tank, where it gurgles, and there is a lot of foam in it. The coolant also appears to be dark in color, although I'm not certain.

Does the coolant just need to be flushed? I'm assuming its the original coolant. What are the procedures to do this?
Old 07-12-2005, 04:23 PM
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Your coolant is boiling. It is my guess your fans are not working. Check the fuses and relays.
Old 07-12-2005, 04:26 PM
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Originally Posted by jwikoff99
Your coolant is boiling. It is my guess your fans are not working. Check the fuses and relays.
relays are against the firewall
Old 07-12-2005, 04:31 PM
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You may be low on coolant due to a leak. Look around for wet spots and and check the coolant level in the radiator (MAKE SURE THE CAR IS COLD FIRST).

If low fill the system back up ensuring you "burp" or release the air out of the system via the screw on the waterneck. Once you start it keep your eyes open for leaks. Then watch for leaks and keep an eye on the temp. Low speed fans come on around 215 and high speed come on at around 225. Do not let it overheat if they do not seem to come on.

If it isn't low then start it up and check your fans. Low speed fans come on around 215 and high speed come on at around 225. Do not let it overheat if they do not seem to come on.
Old 07-12-2005, 04:39 PM
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Could it be a faulty radiator cap?

And, what causes the foam?

Also, it boils at highway speeds. I'd expect airflow to be enough.
Old 07-12-2005, 05:29 PM
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If you don't have enough coolant, then it could boil at any speed. No coolant..no cooling.

Next time it is cold, take off the radiator cap. It should be full. If it'* full and you are gurgling you probably have a bad head gasket. However usually we don't think about this because 3.8'* having head gasket problems are extremely rare.
Old 07-12-2005, 05:43 PM
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I'm almost certain it is full. I will check again tonight.
Old 07-13-2005, 01:13 PM
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Default boil

How old is the coolant.
Could be worn out coolant and a clogged radiator.
You allways do well to check for leaks as Jr stated then do a total flush and re- fill when you have cooling problems.
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